Tau Culture
by alimination602
Summary: OC Farseer Tara is captured by OC Shas'O Karr while defending an Eldar Outpost during the Kurava Soulstorm


Chapter 1- Tau Culture

"Retreat to the Webway!" Farseer Tara called out in the vain hope that some of her remaining forces may be alive to respond to the order.

Though she was still a young Seer her military prowess in the use of Eldar stealth tactics honoured her command of one of the territories close to the Eldar stronghold on Kaurava III. The invading Tau forces had decimated her soldiers; the Eldar headquarters was collapsing under the combined force of its own weight and the incoming plasma rounds melting its structure.

Tara fired her Shuriken blaster, the plasma round impacted the chest plate of a Tau Fire Warrior as it ran up the dark red sand dune towards her, sending the creature crashing to the ground, his armour as sun red as the sand beginning to consume him.

When the Eldar had first travelled through the Webway into the Kaurava system in the hope of eradicating the Necron threat beginning to form there they had never expected to encounter the other factions vying for control of the system. This quickly forced them into a bloody conflict with the other warring nations laying claim to the system.

Tara looked out across the sandy battlefield laid out before her. The majority of her forces lay dead, slowly being consumed by the sand. The survivors were running towards the Webway gate, the unlucky majority being gunned down by the pursuing enemy troops. Tara knew she had done all she could to save them.

"Hurry Farseer" A Guardian soldier called out to her, standing before the Webway gate leading back to the Eldar Headquarters, back to safety. The Guardian ran through the Webway, Tara being one of the last Eldar left alive on the sandy plains. She turned and ran for her salvation. She was nearly to the Webway Gate, she stumbled on the rocky slope, but never breaking stride she recovered. The static of the Webway buzzed against her skin. She heard it, and then she felt it.

Tau Commander Shas'O Karr stood atop a dusty sand dune of Kaurava III. This place reminded her of home back on T'au, maybe being surrounded by the dusty sand dunes of home would help drive her Fire Warriors to fight harder, give them something to fight for in this battle. Commander Karr wore the standard XV-8 Battlesuit of a Shas'O, the dull orange matching the sand that swept into her blood red hair, her pale, grey skin a true contrast to her surroundings. As Commander Or'es'Ka's second in command she had been selected to lead the opening assault against the Eldar forces on Kaurava III while Or'es'Ka co-ordinated the defence of the Tau territory from the over ambitious Orks.

Watching as the Eldar forces ran for safety she couldn't help but feel a certain sense of pride in her abilities. She knew the Ethereal's were testing her, using her success here to determine if she could become a full Commander. She had decided to use her forces stealth skills to her advantage.

She knew how these Eldar fought; she had studied Eldar extensively during her training at the Cadre academy. At the first sign of hostilities the Eldar could teleport their entire base to the other side of a mountain and leave their Warp Spiders and Rangers to deal with the enemy force as they approached. When finally cornered the Eldar would simply use their stealth field generators to make it appear as though their base had shimmered out of existence.

Instead of a standard assault, Karr had positioned pathfinder teams across the rim of the southern dune to survey the area and confirm the presence of the Eldar base. Using the pathfinders to identify and mark the location of the Eldar Webway gates she had deployed three Stealth Teams to plant explosives large enough to cripple the gates, and disable their stealth capabilities. As soon as she gave the order to advance she activated the explosives, 3 bright flashes in the sand, and the enemy base had materialised before her troops. With a vulnerable and stunned target before them, the Fire Warriors opened fire on the Eldar and the battle had begun.

Karr watched as the Eldar retreated through the Webway. She let them retreat out of honour, but also in the hope that they would report back to the Eldar Hierarchy of her compassion and hope that it may be one of the first steps in bringing the Eldar under the banner of the Greater Good.

With the last Eldar dead or fleeing Karr had to ensure that this area remained secure and that the Eldar could not bring reinforcements through their portals. She placed a hand to her exposed ear and opened her COM unit. "Artillery, open fire on those Webway Gates. Ensure they cannot be used by our enemy".

Two Hammerhead Gunships moved into position behind her, their cannons rose to the target. Their weapons discharged, sending a flurry of sand flying into the air. The shots impacted the Webway Gate, the thin frame melting and collapsing in on itself. Karr noticed something at the base of the destroyed Webway Gate. She realized it was a creature, an Eldar, which had not fled the battle.

Farseer Tara was thrown into the air. The force of the blast knocking the air out of her lungs as she collapsed into the dirt, the baking hot sand burning her skin through her thin cloak. The Farseer could hear the crunch of approaching feet through the sand. If she was to die, she would die on her feet.

Tara forced herself to her feet, her legs burning with the intense heat she strained to pull herself off the ground. Her vision blurred, she saw a heavily armoured Tau approach, flanked on either side by a squad of heavily armed Fire Warriors. The only difference was that this Tau had the larger chest plate of a female Warrior, Tara had never heard of a female Fire Caste warrior, especially not one ranked highly enough to require bodyguards. "Lay down your weapons, and you shall not be harmed"

Tara raised her pistol shakily, trying to steady her hand long enough to take a shot. The Fire Warriors raised their weapons, their combined firepower more than enough to finish her off. It was clear she had only one option left "Lay down your weapons" The Farseer called out sternly.

Shas'O Karr raised the blaster attached to the wrist of her suit. She was quite taken aback by the comment, but she ensured that her crimson eyes gave no hint of emotion. But suddenly the reason for her opponent's strange request materialized in front of her. The air around the Farseer began to crackle, the light bending in peculiar arcs as something shimmered into existence. Karr suddenly formed the pixels together, an Eldar Ranger squad. Their rifles were all raised to her chest. She hadn't noticed how close she had come to the brink of death. Only her stern tone had saved her.

The rangers dropped their weapons into the sand, the weapons slowly being consumed the blazing sand. A team of Fire Warriors ran past their commander, moving to detain the Eldar. "Bring them back to Nan Yanoi" Karr ordered her Fire Warriors as they bound the Eldar's hands.

Shas'O Karr stepped back down the sand bank towards her waiting Orca Dropship, she was approached by a Kroot Sharper named Kraal, the Secondary Commander she had assigned to lead the Kroot forces into battle. "Commander? My Kroot warriors have been rounded up and are preparing to enjoy their victory feast of the fallen Eldar. As soon as they are finished we shall report-"

"No!" Karr stopped abruptly.

"Commander?" The normally composed Kroot was certainly taken aback.

"I want you to personally ensure the safety of the bodies of the fallen Eldar. They shall be left intact so that they might be given a proper burial". She glanced at the bank, seeing that the Farseer had heard her surprising order. "They fought bravely" She said it more to the Eldar Farseer than to Kraal. "It's the least we can give them"

Kraal gave her a curt nod of understanding. "Yes commander"

With that he broke away, ready to deliver the ill news to his men. As Karr watched him run, it finally dawned on her. "Commander Kraal" He stopped. "Tell your men I will honour them with a victory feast upon our return to Nan Yanoi"

The Sharper seemed to give a Kroot smile, the two rugged jaws on his mouth tightening. "Very well Commander"

The Dropship banked over the cold mountain craters that pocketed the moon's rough surface. Farseer Tara was sat on one of the benches attached to the wall. Tara was flanked on either side by Fire Warriors- each armed with standard pulse rifles, their belts lined with an array of grenades and close quarter combat knives. The Tau Commander that had captured her sat further along the Dropship on the opposite troop bay. The woman's crimson eyes glanced up towards Tara. When their eyes met a smile grew across her face. Tara felt the forces acting on her change, the Dropship banking towards the landing pad. A fowl shudder ran through the ship, the transport was coming in to dock.

The troop door of the Orca cracked open, the wind blowing through the opening forcing her to awkwardly grip the bench for support, her wrists bound by plasma cuffs. She looked out of the open door, watching as the dull grey rock of the landscape gave way to the shimmering metal of the Tau Base. The Dropship slowly banked towards the centre of the base.

The ship slowed, it came to land in the centre of the Tau base. The two Fire Warriors sitting on either side of Tara rose from their seats, pulling Tara to her feet with them, leading her out of the back of the Dropship into the blazing sun once again. Her eyes stung with the sudden intense light, the interior lights of the Dropship paling in comparison.

The Tau base before her was bustling with activity, Tau Earth Caste builders constructing military buildings, Fire Warriors practicing and drilling, Air Caste pilots tending to their craft. She noticed a pair of engineers equipping a flamethrower to a Tau Battlesuit. The machine brandished its new weapon gleefully, letting off a quick test puff of fire from its newly augmented arm.

Here was where the two military leaders parted. Commander Karr stepped away with her bodyguards to a large building in the centre of the Tau base Eldar intelligence had named the 'Coalition Centre'. Tara and the captured Rangers however was escorted deeper into the Tau base, to the Holding Facility.

There her restraints were removed and the guards dumped her into her cell. It was a simple dark room with a bed welded to the wall; the red glow of the force field that secured the door illuminated the small room with an eerie red glow. Tara laid down upon the rough mattress, running her gloved fingers over the well used material. "At least it's better than the Ork Camps"

Tara was abruptly woken by the beeping of the terminal as the door to her cell was opened. She parted her eyes to see a Tau Guard enter her cell, his pistol clanking against his belt. Tara rose up, her feet touching the cool deck. "Shas'O Karr has requested your presence in her chambers"

Tara cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. "Really. Any particular reason?" She couldn't see the Guards expression through his faceplate.

"The Shas'O didn't tell me. Too be honest I wouldn't ask why, few Tau have been allowed into the commanders chambers. Count yourself thankful" Tara gave him a curt nod, rising to follow the Guard out of her cramped cell.

Tara was brought out into the open air of the Tau base. The Tau Guard clutched her arm to allow her to give way to a passing Hammerhead Gunship, the crafts engines throwing up a short plume of dust in its wake. The Guard and Tara continued towards the Coalition Centre.

As they passed the guards at the door each guard gave Tara a quick glance, the glimpse a few seconds longer than to be polite acknowledgement. The Guard lead her through the bowels of the alien structure. Whenever they passed another Tau patrol the soldiers gave Tara the same strange look the guards at the front door had given her. It was as though the idea that an Eldar would be allowed to walk through these hallowed halls, even directed by an armed escort, was a great insult to their beliefs.

The Prison Guard finally stopped as they arrived to their destination, a large golden double door. "Knock. The commander is expecting you" The Guard disengaged her plasma cuffs, leaving her alone in the deserted corridor. Some people would have taken this opportunity escape, they were obviously the people who forgot that they were standing in the centre of an enemy military base, without weapons, armour or outside assistance individual escape would be impossible.

Tara tapped on the large double doors. The thick metal creaked silently open, the bright light illuminating the darkened corridor. Tara stepped inside, it was a lavish room with purple silk curtains cascading like a rushing waterfall. A large double bed was built against the side wall, the covers crisp against the mattress. Tara saw the Tau Commander staring out the window of the room that dominated the far wall. She was dressed in a dark cream coloured robe, her grey skin exposed on the back of the dress, a far more comfortable but no less intimidating attire. Her crimson red hair cascading down her back matched Tara's. But while Tara's was contained in a light bun, a pony tail flowing cleanly down her back Karr's flowed gracefully down her exposed back.

As if by some mystical force Shas'O Karr turned from the activities of the base beyond the window, turning to meet her guest. "Welcome to my chambers" She gestured her guest deeper into the room. Tara walked closer, seeing the peaceful burn in her crimson eyes.

Tara was the one too speak first "I assume that you brought me here for a reason?" If this was to be some kind of interrogation or mind trick, she was not going to let this woman break her. Karr simply smiled however, gesturing to her table, a bowl of mixed fruit dominating it. The bowl was filled with an assortment of fine fruits from all across the galaxy. Tara sat down on one of the padded chairs, Karr sat across from her. Tara accepted a piece of fruit, biting into the purple flesh to taste the sweet nectar beneath it.

"I requested you here, because I wanted to congratulate you" This defiantly caught Tara off guard. Karr continued. "You and your men fought well. Your military prowess showed true power. Your readiness to surrender when you were beaten shows honour. These are both skills that the Tau could certainly use"

Tara shook her head clear, lowering the piece of fruit to the table. "I will not betray the Eldar" Karr's expression was unfazed. "So what are you going to do, torture me? Force me to give you information on Eldar defences?"

Karr laughed at the idea. "Tau do not believe in torture. There is nothing I could learn from you that I could not find out about your defences with the use of Seeker Drones"

Tara kept her stern stare. "Are you then going to have me executed or imprisoned?"

"No" Karr said sharply, but with a softness to her voice. "You'll be released tomorrow morning. I've arranged an Orca Dropship to take you back to Eldar territory"

Tara smiled; this Tau Commander had gone out of her way to ensure her safe return to Eldar soil. "Do not think too deeply of it. This is merely an example of my allegiance to the Greater Good"

Tara twiddled the half eaten fruit she still held in her bare hand. "I know you will remain true to your word. We Eldar owe you a great debt of Gratitude. After the Ork assault on our base on Kronus, our forces were scattered and broken. But the Tau shielded us from the harsh climate, providing us with transport off of Kronus to a nearby Eldar Outpost. I truly consider you an ally of my people"

Karr lay her open palm down on the table. "All I ask is that when you return, you tell your people of our compassion, as I hope you will one day become a supporter of the Greater Good" Tara reached across the table, taking the accepted hand, her fingers melded with Karr's. "I believe I can promise that"

"You Eldar truly are creatures of honour" Karr reached her free hand up to Tara's light blue cheek. "And obvious beauty"


End file.
